Super Bowl Sunday

By Dan Rodgers

New York Giants vs. New England Patriots - The Rematch

We are less than two hours before kickoff of Super Bowl XLVI and Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski is officially active for the game, surprise-surprise...

This is the first Super Bowl in the history of the sport between two former Super Bowl MVPs. Tom Brady will try for the second time to join Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only QBs to win the Super Bowl four times. This is also Brady's second try against the Giants (Super Bowl XLII).

New York offense:

The Giants' passing attack is just as explosive and difficult to defend as New England's; however, New York has a respectable running game that I expect them to utilize. I will be looking for Ahmad Bradshaw to have a big game because he is small, quick and elusive. He should be able to eclipse 100 total yards between rushing and receiving out of the backfield. If Brandon Jacobs doesn't start the game and show effectiveness, look for Coughlin to focus on Bradshaw. Jacobs is an incredible back when he runs downhill and straight ahead, but he is useless when he dances around and takes time on his cuts.

The Eli Manning-led passing attack is as good as any in the league because of the depth the Giants have at receiver. They lack a truly effective receiving tight end (unlike the Pats), but with Nicks, Cruz, Manningham and Bradshaw's ability out of the backfield, the Giants have numerous play-makers that New England's porous defense needs to account for today. Eli Manning has proved this season that he should be considered a top quarterback in the NFL, but he can cement his place as an elite QB with a victory.

New England offense:

The Pats are the same offensive team that they have been, with the exception of replacing Randy Moss with Rob Gronkowski. They rely on quick passes and timing. An effective way to get Brady out of his element is to get pressure with your four-man rush and clog the passing lanes by playing zone coverage. The Giants have one of the best defensive lines I've ever seen, and should be able to get pressure similar to that of Super Bowl XLII. However, unfortunately for the Giants, there might not be a better coach in the business at pregame planning and in-game adjustments than Bill Belichick. BB is even better when he gets to rematch a team he lost to earlier that season.

The Pats do an excellent job of using the pass to open up the run and are not afraid to rely on Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis if he is finding running room. The Law Firm is a big back and he doesn't fumble, which makes him an excellent complement to a Belichick-coached team. The Giants can't over-compensate for the pass or Green-Ellis will run all over them.

Recap:

I think the Giants will get a formidable amount of pressure on Brady and cause some problems. I also think that even though New England has the worst defense in the NFL, Belichick will have them ready. A lot of people think this one is going way over the total (53.5), but remember the total of the game played earlier this season was only (44, all scored in the second half).

I said it earlier and I'll say it again, if the Giants make the Super Bowl - they'll win it. I will stick by that.

Prediction:
New York Giants 27 (+3) New England Patriots 23

Enjoy the final game of the NFL season.

Rodgers That

NFL Week 9: The Down and The Dirty

By Dan Rodgers

I am aware that I just wrote back-to-back pieces about the MLB Gold Gloves Awards, but this is my weekly piece and I want it to be down every Wednesday. Well, at least when I started it was still Wednesday.

NFL Week Nine

"The Down"

This award was tough to hand out to one player in the beginning. After analyzing the stats and looking a bit deeper into everything it became clear that Matthew Stafford came out on top (or bottom depending how you look at it). Even though he threw two touchdowns and Orton didn’t throw a single one. Stafford threw for 22 of 42 for 203 and 2 TDs. Oh, not his five, yeah count ‘em FIVE interceptions. Stafford took after last week’s biggest loser, Kurt Warner. The main reason why Stafford had to be chosen over Orton is because at least Orton faced a respectable team in the Steelers. Also, Stafford faced the Seahawks, and jumped out to 17 point lead. Why did he even throw a pass the rest of the game? Oy, who knows…

Honorable Mentions:

QB Kyle Orton (DEN) – 23 of 38 for 221 yards and 3 INTs

QB Joe Flacco (BAL) – 18 of 32 for 195 yards and 2 INTs

RB Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG) – 14 for 39 yards

WR Ted Ginn, Jr. (MIA) – 1 for 7 yards

"The Dirty"

Kurt Warner, last weeks biggest loser, completely dominated the Chicago Bears supposedly respectable defense. Warner only completed 22 of 32 passes for a measly 261 yards. So you might be asking how he won the award this week? Well, his five touchdown passes certainly sealed the deal for me. That’s right, a week after his five interceptions, Warner showed that at 37 years-old he still has some juice left in the tank. I don’t think there is any discrepancy to be had over Warner. I mean Fitz had a crazy good game, but of course that was because of Warner. Randy Moss and Mike Sims-Walker put up impressive stats but they were identical so just one of them couldn’t win it. Lastly, Michael Turner put up over 150 yards for the second consecutive week but was slightly over showed in my book.

Honorable Mentions:

WR Larry Fitzgerald (AZ) – 9 for 123 yards and 2 TDs

WR Randy Moss (NE) – 6 for 147 yards and 1 TD

WR Mike Sims-Walker (JAX) – 6 for 147 yards and 1 TD

RB Michael Turner (ATL) – 18 for 166 yards and 2 TDs

If anyone thinks I missed a player that deserves to be recognized on either list please let me know.

Rodgers That